Photo courtesy of The Summit
Ifill talks with Lennon via zoom
By Hannah Lennon
Retired boxing champion and Stonehill alum Pamerson Ifill urged students to be allies and advocates for racial justices.
“I want us to find a way to bridge a racial gap, the important thing is ‘how can I be a better ally,’” Ifill told a group gathered via Zoom recently. “Treat people with dignity and respect to get that in return.”
The event on Thursday, Sep. 10 was sponsored by The Martin Institute for Law & Society. Director of the Martin Institute Kathleen Currul-Dykeman introduced Ifill.
Ifill shared his story as an immigrant in America, reminding listeners that his life could have been very different if he had not come to the United States.
“I knew if I stayed in Barbados I wouldn’t have gotten opportunity,” Ifill said.
Ifill grew up in Barbados with nine brothers and sisters, but his life changed when his mother died when her appendix burst in 1971.
“My world and family unit was destroyed that day,” Ifill said. “My older siblings did their best to take care of us, but it became clear they couldn’t care for us all. Family members we’ve never met before came and separated us across the island.”
It would be 39 years before Ifill would see all of his siblings together again.
“My mother’s funeral destroyed the concept of family for us. We say that we only get together at funerals, because the only times we’ve been together since our mother’s death is our grandmother’s funeral in 2010 and our brother’s funeral in 2011,” Ifill said.
Ifill and one of his brothers lived with their great aunt after their mother’s death, and he described it as the worst years of his life.
“She was ultra-religious, it was Jesus every day of the week. One day I stayed out to watch a cricket game, and when I returned home she locked the door and gave me 15 to 20 lashes. That night, I decided it was the last beating I would take from her,” Ifill said.
Ifill ran away to the home of one of his eldest brothers who took him back to the home his mother died in four years earlier.
“I ran away, but I still went to school, I loved school,” Ifill said.
Ifill regards his thirst for knowledge as the thing which brought him eventual success in the United States.
“I had this addiction to reading, anywhere you could take a book from I did, allowed me to be a prolific reader, maybe I should apologize for that, maybe not. Either way, the exhaustive knowledge I gained gave me a thirst for the U.S. I knew this is where my destiny was,” Ifill said.
Although he had a keenness for education, Ifill said school in Barbados was tough.
“I was shamed in school. Not bullied, but shamed. Kids would say terrible things about my mother, and I got into fights,” Ifill said.
Even though it may not have been the behavior of a good student, Ifill’s schoolyard fights eventually led him to his career as a boxer.
“One kid I beat up called his mother and she called the cops on me. The officer said if I don’t stop getting into fights he would lock me up, instead he met me in city one day to meet with the National Boxing Coach for Barbados. Within six months I was representing Barbados as a boxer all around the world,” Ifill said.
Ifill’s career as a boxer led him to the United States in 1983 when he beat two U.S boxers in a tournament and their coach asked him to come back to the states.
“I came to the United States with a pair of sneakers, two pairs of underwear, a few t-shirts and pants, and shoes with holes, that’s it,” Ifill said.
Despite his lack of belongings, Ifill knew he belonged in the country.
“I was sparing with boxing world champion Marvin Johnson, and in 1986 I went to compete in a tournament in Kansas City; nobody I fought made it out of the second round,” Ifill said.
Following his wins in Kansas City, coaches invited him up to Brockton, Massachusetts to train.
But after a medical physical came back with results of an enlarged heart, Ifill had to change his plans.
“I met with someone at Massasoit Community College every morning for three weeks. I had to take the bus at six in the morning because my immigration status was in question; I was afraid of the raids. Eventually my persistence succeeded. I was able to meet with the college’s president and I received an international scholarship, allowing me to get a student visa,” Ifill said.
Ifill spent two years furthering his education at Massasoit before transferring to Stonehill and graduating in 1992.
Ifill worked at the local YMCA for while at Stonehill, receiving health benefits, and was able to get an EKG. Soon enough, he was able to resume boxing.
“I became a jury probation officer in 1993 until 1998, and then I set up community corrections for 13 years to help individuals on probation,” Ifill said.
In 2011, he became the chief probation officer for Suffolk County.
“In less than a year I had turned the court around,” Ifill said.
He said when he arrived, 85% of the staff was White, even though nearly 70% of the residents in the community were persons of color.
“I split the staff and soon enough 50% of the employees looked like the community we served,” Ifill said.
Ifill said he strives for inclusion and improvement of his workplace and the criminal justice system in general.
“We’re about to roll out a text message reminder system for individuals who have upcoming court dates. Many people don’t appear in court simply because they forget, and we’re hoping this system will significantly reduce the amount of people missing court for this reason,” Ifill said.
The district developed a pilot project from last August through April of 2020, and the system is launching September 14, September 28, and October 1 for district courts. Ifill and his coworkers are working to expand the system into the juvenile and probate courts.
“The goal is that if you have a court date, you will receive a text message,” Ifill said.
Along with this system, Ifill is working on a virtual Cultural Appreciation event to be held this year from October 19 to 23.
“The event started in 2017 to celebrate diversity in the community. This year, we’re addressing the impact of COVID in our communities and having serious conversations on race and racial injustice,” Ifill said.
As a Black man, Ifill said he is no stranger to racial injustice.
“I graduated Stonehill as one of five Black students in the class,” Ifill said. “All of the significant achievements I’ve had in this country have been afforded to me by a white man or woman. I was hired out of luck as a result of someone else’s failure, I never take for granted the work I have to do.”
Ifill is thankful for his opportunities, but acknowledges the community also helped him succeed.
“What I loved about Stonehill is the way it welcomed me and gave me opportunity to get a degree and translate that into a career as well as my Master’s Degree from Brandeis. As much as I love Barbados, I am so American in my thought as it relates to opportunity. I know my story is one of those [American Dream] stories because White people were so instrumental in my success,” Ifill said
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